Welcome Home
by Lalaith Quetzalli
Summary: That note, she's heard it before, it's her horn. Narnia...Queen Susan. So long since the last time she heard those words, and now they come acompanied by something else: They need your help. This is the story of how Narnia's last queen found her way home.
1. A Call of Help

**Welcome Home, Susan.**

_By: Princess Lalaith _

Disclaimer: I don't own The Chronicles of Narnia, nor its characters. This is what, according to me, might have happened after the end of the seventh book. Hope you like it.

**Chapter 1.- A Call of Help. **

A young woman was seated in a table, having dinner in a fancy and expensive restaurant, full of important and rich people. She was really beautiful, a tall young woman, in her early twenties, with dark long locks and deep eyes, dressed in a dark blue dress. Her companion was also stunning: a lawyer, just graduated; a Handsome young man with his jet-black hair and azure eyes; no doubt a great match, if she had been at least half interested in him. But she wasn't, and she would never be.

He was talking about many different things, and she nodded once in a while, although she didn't seem to be truly in the conversation. Her expression was unreadable, there was no emotion showing in it, almost as if she had no heart at all, or as if her heart had long ago turned into ice or stone.

And as she continued nodding once in a while, so her companion wouldn't notice her lack of attention she seemed to notice something: It was a sound, almost like music, but much more simple. It was just a note, plain and keen, and even then she knew she had heard it before.

"That sound…" She murmured puzzled.

And she was so concentrated in what she was hearing that she didn't seem to notice she had spoken aloud.

"What?" George was suddenly confused.

He had been talking about how his work had been, and how it would do good for her to accompany him on a trip to France, he had to get some work done, but afterwards he would have a weekend free; they would be able to visit different places and she would get a chance to get her mind off things and relax. What had a sound to do with any of that?

And just then the woman's face showed emotion for the first time: it was a mix of confusion, nervousness and…hope?

"I've heard it before…" She murmured to herself. "It is…"

"What are you talking about Su?" George asked. "I hear nothing except the cars outside of the restaurant."

"The horn…" Susan finally murmured.

And then another voice could be heard, even if just her ears picked it up.

"Help. Your help is needed." The voice sounded strangely familiar to her too.

"My help?" She asked, although this time she didn't know if she had said it aloud or not, not that she cared anyway.

"Two kids need your help. They need you, Daughter of Eve…"

This time Susan had no doubt whose voice it was. Just in one place humans were addressed as Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve. And just one person from that place could be talking to her in that moment.

"Oh Aslan…" she whispered. "I once ignored a call of help from Narnia, the greatest mistake I've ever made. I don't know if I can be of any help this time, for too long I've been apart."

"As long as you haven't forgotten, you're never too apart, my dear."

"For a while I thought I had; but not anymore. If I am needed tell me what I must do. As I said I don't know if I will be of any help, but I'll try."

"You know it is not your duty to do it, but your decision?"

"I know. And I will answer to this call as I should have answered when Lucy was the one who came to me. I will never again ignore Narnia or you Aslan, never again."

"Those are brave, yet dangerous words."

"I know, and yet I hold to them."

"Then let all gates open, so you may find your way into another world. But I warn you, Narnia is not what it used to be when you last came, a very long time has gone by, and many things have changed. Two kids found some magic rings by mistake, and ventured farther than they should have, now you are the only one who can help them."

"I will do everything I can Aslan. For you, for my siblings, and for myself."

"Then go there already, and be careful, Queen Susan."

.-.

Queen Susan…

Yes, that's how he had called her.

Susan Pevensie, once known as Queen Susan, the Gentle, one of four Governors in the Golden Age of Narnia.

That had been a long time ago. When she had sat in one of the thrones in the castle of Cair Paravel with her elder brother Peter, the Magnificent as the High Monarch, and her younger siblings: Edmund the Just and Lucy the Valiant, as King and Queen of Narnia too. The four of them had arrived to Narnia through a magic wardrobe, met magical beings, animals that talked, fought against a white witch and defeated her; bringing peace and splendor to that world called Narnia.

But that had been too long ago. That had been when she was young and believed in magic, and in happy endings…not any longer.

She also remembered she had gone to Narnia a second time, a year later. That time she hadn't done much; just problems her mind would add. That time it was noticeable that she had already begun backing away from the magic there, and from Aslan when she refused to believe he was there and wished to lead them by a safe road to the one who needed their help. And even when Aslan said she had just listened to the fear, and helped her, his help didn't last, as soon as she returned to her world it all came back to her. And knowing she would never be going back to Narnia she had no reason to continue believing. And so she pushed the memory back and tried to go on with his life.

She had once told her sister she no longer thought about Narnia, that those were just games and she had grown up. What an awful lie that had been!

She had never truly forgotten about Narnia, not at all. In fact, there was not a day she didn't think about that beautiful world she got to visit and fight for. But as she had been known for her gentleness back there, she soon discovered that in her own world people with that gentleness where bothered most of the time. And she didn't believe herself to be strong enough to stand to them. Even when she noticed all of her siblings: Peter, Edmund, and specially Lucy, where able to go on with their lives, and never forgetting about Narnia, she didn't believe herself capable of doing the same. She just wasn't strong enough.

And still known she had to have the strength to just go on, day by day, completely alone.

Well no, not alone, never alone. She was always surrounded by many different people, sometimes people whose names she didn't even know. She had many 'friends', friends she had learned didn't truly care about her; they weren't there when she needed them the most, when her family was gone, when she felt completely lost.

She knew the men seek her just because she was beautiful, it had been the same back in Narnia; they had gotten in so many troubles when men would want to marry her and wouldn't accept no for an answer (Rabadash of Calormen for example). And at the same time other women envied her wishing for the attention Susan got, and when they didn't get it they would talk awful things behind her back.

And if she thought enough about it, she had always been a burden both in Narnia and on Earth. Never as brave as Susan, nor as just as Edmund, or as wise as Peter; she had been 'Gentle', only that, and for what did that serve her now? For nothing.

Her siblings had taken the fact of not being able to return to Narnia fairly well. In fact they never stopped talking about that world; less of all when they discovered the old Professor Diggory Kirke and his friend Polly Plummer had once been in Narnia. But even when they invited Susan in, she refused. She thought she could go on with her life.

If she had just known what would happen later on, maybe she would have thought it twice. But there was no way she could have known, was there? No, no one could have prevented it, that tragedy that took place so long ago and made a disaster out of her life.

Five years. It had been five years since that horrible accident, five years since she received a policeman at her door telling her all her family and old friends had died in that awful train wreck, five years since she had to begin wearing that mask of happiness when she was broken inside, five years since she lost all sense of life.

For so long she tried to blame the conductor of the train, but she knew the man had had no way of controlling the train, things like that happened; then she tried blaming her own siblings for being there, but she knew they had been there because they wanted to help Narnia; and finally she tried throwing the blame to Aslan, believing that had he loved them more he would have saved them.

And then she felt guilty, guilty because she knew it was no one's fault that her family and friends had died. In any case it was her fault if she wasn't with them, she had refused to accompany them. And she knew Aslan loved them all, and was almost sure they were with him in that very moment.

She now just wished she would one day be worthy of joining them, wherever they were now.

But to even be able to hope for something like, she first would have to help whoever had gotten in problems now. After all, that's why she had been called.

* * *

Well, this is it, I've finally begun my first Narnian fic. It will be about Susan mainly, I hope you like it. It won't be a long fic, less than five chapters maybe, and updated with regularity. 

Please leave many reviews and I will update soon.


	2. Dark Narnia

**Chapter 2.- Dark Narnia **

Although half her mind was still locked in her memories, both cheerful and painful ones; and her heart wasn't in that 'date' either, it hadn't been in anything she did or say for too long. Susan didn't have much of a problem to notice the change in her surroundings. All around her was pure blackness, and a coldness she could barely stand.

As if for some kind of miracle she was wearing the thick black coat she had left at the lobby of the fancy restaurant, the cloth of her blue dress she wore not being enough to protect her of the freezing air.

"What the hell happened here?" Susan wondered aloud.

And just then she heard something, a cry of help.

"Help!"

It was a girl.

Susan had to rely in her hearing to get to where she heard the voice calling for help, and she almost fainted when she got there.

Her eyes had begun to adjust to the darkness and he could see two kids crouched in between some rocks, and right before them stood…

"A dragon…" Susan gasped.

But this wasn't a normal dragon. It was even darker than all the darkness around him, and the fire that came from his mouth lacked of the common scarlet tone, or any other color. It made Susan think of one thing: death.

"Ok, I need to do something." Susan murmured to herself. "But what can I do against a dragon with my bare hands?"

And as if by some kind of spell something appeared in her hands.

"My old bow." Susan whispered fingering the weapon. "The one Santa Claus gave to me so long ago…" she immediately strapped the quiver on her back and arranged the string of the bow. "Thank you Aslan."

With that she got in position, taking the advantage that meant the fact that the dragon hadn't yet noticed her presence she began firing one arrow after another to the neck and head of the creature.

There was no result, except for the fact that the dragon was now furious.

"Damn…" Susan cursed under her breath, she threw another arrow.

This time the cry of the dragon announced her she had hit one of his eyes.

"That must be enough for now." She murmured getting the bow on her shoulder.

And without stopping to think about it (she would have regretted it) she leapt from her hiding spot, dashed past the enormous dragon and right to the kids.

"Come on! Run!" she yelled at them.

As she passed she took their hands and continued running as fast as their feet would carry her, and trying not to make them fall.

"Who are you?" the boy asked as he tried to keep up with Susan. "Where are we going?"

"Explanations later." Susan replied never stopping. "Right now we must get to safety, I know a place."

Somehow she managed to find her way to Cair Paravel, or what was left of it. In there she recollected some wood and led the children to what used to be the Treasure Room. She thought that being it underground and its entrance hidden with bushes and dry ivy it would be harder for that dragon or any other creature to locate them.

Once inside she managed to lit a small fire and the kids immediately sat before it to try and warm themselves a bit.

Susan meanwhile went around the room, recollecting some things.

"I know this is not exactly a sweater, but it might be useful for you in this situation." Susan said as she handed them a couple of light armors.

Even if they were really old, they had been made by dwarves, and remained in an almost perfect state.

"What are these?" the boy asked.

"Light armors." Susan replied as she got one on, above her dress. "They may be useful to protect us."

She was still cold, but decided the girl needed her coat more than her, so she handed it to her.

"Here, take this." Susan said. "You need it more than me."

"Thank you." The girl immediately covered herself with the coat.

"It's seems it's been too long here, or I would be able to give you proper clothing." Susan said, and then thought better about it. "But well, if it hadn't been so long probably we would have found someone else in this castle."

"Who are you?" the boy asked. "And where are we?"

"My name is Su." Susan answered. "And I would have expected you to know the answer to the second question. But anyway, this place is called Narnia, and it's a world out of Earth."

"We found some strange rings, some were yellow and others green, and when we put on the yellow ring, swap, we suddenly were here." The boy explained. "We don't know how. At the beginning it was interesting, but then that awful creature appeared…"

'The rings.' Susan was thinking. 'Didn't Professor Kirke mention something about some magic rings his uncle created a very long time ago? Yes, those were the rings Peter and Edmund were going to recover from that house in London. The ones they were supposed to give to Eustace and his friend so they could reach Narnia. They never used them, and now these children found them…' she sighed.

"What are your names?" Su finally asked.

"My name is Jonathan Lewis, and this is my friend Claire Royan." The boy introduced both.

"Ok, Jonathan." Su said thoughtfully. "You said the yellow rings brought you here, where are the green rings?"

"We lost them when that creature attacked us." Jonathan replied.

"That means I will need to go back there." Su murmured, more to herself than to the children.

"What?" Claire asked in fright. "Go back there? Why?"

"Because if the yellow rings brought you here we'll need the green rings to get out." Su explained to them.

"You didn't use the rings to get here?" Jonathan asked.

"No." Susan shook her head. "I was sent here by Aslan to help you."

"Aslan?" Claire repeated confused. "Who is Aslan?"

"Aslan is the Great Lion, the King of all Narnia." Susan explained.

"He is the king of such an awful place?" Jonathan asked. "Why would he want to be king of such a terrible world?"

"Narnia hasn't always been like this." Susan said. "It was once a beautiful country. A great forest as far as the eye could see. Full of dryads, nymphs, centaurs, unicorns, hippogriffs, animals that could think and talk, and many others; a wonderful forest full of all kinds of beautiful flowers. And the sea shone beautifully with the sunset."

The kids were quite surprised at the description given by Susan.

"Miss Su." Claire suddenly spoke. "Can you tell us more of when this place was pretty?"

Susan thought it was a good way to get the kid's minds of what was happening around them.

"Sure." Susan nodded.

And so she sat before them, on the other side of the fire. And she told them. She told them about the White Witch, and the prophecy about Two Daughters of Eve and two Sons of Adam; and about the Golden Age of Narnia, and the time of Caspian, the fight to return Narnia to what it used to be. Later on she remembered what she had heard her siblings talking some days in their rooms, about the Voyage of the Dawn Trader, and the rescue of Prince Rilian from the Queen of the Sub-World.

She told the children everything she knew, but afterwards she knew not what to say. She never got to know what had happened in the last adventure her siblings and their friends had had in Narnia, before everything ended.

"And what happened then?" Jonathan asked after Susan was done.

"I do not know." Susan said sadly.

'That's right' she added in her mind. 'I never got to know what happened then. What happened that turned the beautiful Narnia into this nightmare-like place.'

"It was a pretty story." Claire commented. "I liked the part of the Golden Age of Narnia best. All the adventures Kings Peter and Edmund, and Queens Susan and Lucy lived. It must have been a wonderful time to be in this place."

"Yes, those were wonderful times indeed." Susan agreed.

"How do you know all these?" Jonathan asked. "Or are you making it all up?"

"No." Susan replied. "I just…know it."

She didn't know exactly why, but she didn't want to tell them she was once the Queen Susan of Narnia; maybe it was the fact that she feared the kids then would be expecting too much from her, more than what she could offer, or maybe she was still too ashamed of herself to think of her as a queen. Whichever the reason, she didn't say more about it.

"Get some sleep." Susan told them. "I shall keep guard."

Finally the kids nodded and got to sleep against each other.

Susan meanwhile took a look around the place, searching for anything that might be useful. She finally found Lucy's cordial and small dagger, along with Peter's sword and shield. Also she found some arrows in good state to add to her quiver and a short sword that she may need.

.---.

Hours later, (there was no way of knowing if it was day or night, as there was no sun to shine) Susan woke up the children. She had been lucky enough to find some grains and water deep into the Room where they were. Although she believed that more than luck, it had been Aslan's intervention. He was giving them small hints of help.

For a while Susan had wondered why Aslan didn't just appear there and took the kids and herself back to their world. But then she thought that maybe he wanted her to learn something from that adventure.

And even if she didn't know it then she was already learning: she was learning to trust her intuitions, her senses; even when she wouldn't call herself Queen, she was acting like she used to in those times. The young, depressed, unsure and material Susan Pevensie was slowly departing to leave its place to the regal, confident, gentle and brave Queen Susan of Narnia.

"What are we gonna do now?" Jonathan asked once they were done eating.

"You will stay here while I go get the rings." Susan replied. "Here you'll be safe."

"You won't take the rings and leave us here, will you?" Claire asked, doubtful.

"I would never do such a thing Claire." Susan said seriously. "That I can swear to you, in the name of Aslan."

And there was something in her tone of voice, that made the girl believe her full-heartedly.

"Before I leave I want you to take this." She handed them Lucy's old cordial. "Drink a drop each of you."

"What for?" Jonathan asked.

Claire simply did as she was told.

"Hey!" Claire said suddenly. "Look, my scratches have healed, and I feel better than I have in a very long time."

"That's the idea." Susan said. "That cordial once belonged to Queen Lucy, it contains juice of the Fire Flower, it heals any injury or malady."

Jonathan agreed and too took a drop, then returned the cordial to Susan.

'Just one drop left.' Susan thought as she watched the cordial.

She decided not to tell the kids this, or they would worry more.

"What will happen if we're attacked while you're out there?" Jonathan asked.

This made Claire move back in fear and Susan think about his words.

"Fine then, you'll come with me." Susan said seriously, and then she turned to Claire. "And do not worry Claire, I won't let anything happen to you."

Claire was again convinced by her serious tone of voice and nodded.

Jonathan got the feeling there was something in her way of acting, something that was important, he just couldn't place it.

Susan gave Jonathan the sword and shield that had belonged to Peter; and to Claire the small dagger and cordial that were Lucy's.

"They might come in handy." Susan explained when she gave them to him.

"But I don't know how to use this." Jonathan said holding the sword.

"Nor did my b…I mean, King Peter; but if you believe in this weapons and in yourself as he did, you will discover you can do many things you never imagined doing." Susan said encouragingly.

And unknown to her, with those words she had finished sealing her return to being the great Queen Susan, the Gentle.

.---.

They walked for what seemed like hours, until they reached the place where Susan had found the kids the previous day (or so she believed, they would never be sure of how much time passed really).

The problem was that now, besides the dragon of the previous night there were some that looked like fat snakes with small feet.

"They are drakes." Susan answered the yet unasked question of the children behind her.

"What?" Jonathan was confused.

"The offspring of the dragons, less than a year old." Susan explained. "And for the looks of these, they must be no more than a couple of weeks old."

"I can see the rings." Claire suddenly informed them.

Susan followed her line of sight, and found two green rings, resting between some rocks, almost at the dragon's feet.

"I'll go get the rings." Susan said. "You stay here and be careful of any approaching drakes."

They were currently standing between some big rocks, some meters away from what seemed like the dragon nest.

"Be careful." Claire said.

Susan nodded and left the hiding place slowly.

The kids watched how Susan managed to move without making a single sound until she was almost at hand-reach of the rings.

And that was when everything went wrong:

A drake saw Susan, she didn't seem to notice it, her hand already in the rings. The drake was about to attack Susan when…

"Beware!" Claire cried out.

Susan saw the drake just then, she threw herself to the ground and rolled away; loosing one of the rings in the process. And before she could recover it the drake destroyed it.

As Susan was wearing gloves the ring didn't send her away, which was good since she couldn't break her promise to Claire and Jonathan, and to Aslan.

"Claire! Jonathan! Behind you!" Susan yelled.

Two drakes rouse right behind the children. Jonathan raised the shield just in time to protect himself from the attack of one of them, while Claire had to jump out of the away.

Claire immediately brought out her dagger and threw it to the drake attacking her friend, distracting him.

The Dagger, being special, embed itself into the drake's skin, making him furious against Claire, who backed away until reaching a rock wall, having nowhere else to go.

"Help!" Claire cried out.

Susan tried to get to her, but she was currently too busy with other drakes and the just awakened dragon.

"Jon!" Claire cried out in panic.

And just then Jonathan seemed to react, he unsheathed the sword and threw himself to the drake. Somehow he managed to cut the drake over and over again until he killed it.

"Are you okay?" Jonathan asked his friend worriedly.

"Oh yes!" Claire hugged him tightly in relief.

Susan smiled at the way the boy had fought, all a knight, just like her brothers…

Susan continued fighting, and when she ran out of arrows she had to use the short sword.

The drakes fell one by one, either under Susan's or Jonathan's weapons. Claire remained behind her friend, dagger at the ready.

Finally just the dragon remained alive.

"Who do you believe you are to break into my lands and kill my children?" the dragon spoke.

"I am one who wishes no harm toward you or yours, but to rescue my own and get them back to our own world." Susan replied.

"No one should be able to get here, this world is mine now." The dragon insisted.

"Narnia will never be yours, or of any dark creature." Susan replied.

Jonathan and Claire didn't believe it wise of the young woman to talk that way to the dragon; but Susan had now recovered all her power and confidence and wasn't going to stand back.

"And who do you think you are to speak such words to me woman?" the dragon said.

"I am Susan the Gentle, Queen of Narnia." Susan declared proudly.

* * *

There, the second chapter is done. I know it's not long but I hope you'll like it. I just want my readers to know this story will be short, about four chapters and except for some minor details it's finished already. 

I want to thank deeply those six wonderful persons who left me a review. You made this work worth it. Thank you very much. I really hope you'll stay with me till the end.


	3. Going Home

**Chapter 3.- Going Home. **

"I am Susan the Gentle, Queen of Narnia." Susan declared proudly.

Yes, she finally believed herself to be a queen.

"And as such I won't let you hurt these kids as long as I live." Susan added.

"Then I will kill you and be done with it." The dragon said viciously.

And so the dragon attacked and Susan defended herself.

"Su!" Jonathan called in panic.

"Stay back!" Susan told them as she dodged another attack. "I'll take care."

But Jonathan refused to stand back; now that he had found the confidence in him to fight, he wouldn't let Queen Susan do it alone.

"Stay in the rocks Claire." Jonathan ordered as he ran into battle.

"I told you to stay behind!" Susan yelled as he saw the boy fighting next to her.

"Queen or not I'm not letting you fight alone." Jonathan replied.

Susan finally nodded and continued fighting.

Claire observed the ongoing fight with fear. She had never seen something like that, nor in the movies, nor in her wildest dreams. It was almost too much for her to bear.

And suddenly she noticed something, the dragon was attacking Queen Susan and Jonathan with its claws, but now he was about to do it with its tail too.

"No!" Claire yelled as she jumped from her hiding place and threw the dagger.

She had meant for it to hit the dragon's tail, but in her panicked state, she instead hit him in the corner of his eye (the only good one he had). He cried out in panic and waved its tail wildly.

"Clai…" Jonathan tried to cry out but his voice broke as the dragon embedded its right claw in his side painfully.

"No!" Claire cried out.

"Beware!" Susan yelled at the same time.

Claire turned in time to see the dragon's tail about to hit her. But in the last moment Susan pushed her down, but not being fast enough the dragon's tail connected with the queen's body instead of with the girl's.

"Queen Susan!" Claire cried out in panic.

Not caring the danger Claire ran to the fallen queen's side.

But it seemed that the dragon had had enough from the three humans, because he chose that time to get away. Maybe he was too injured already, or believed they weren't worth the pain.

"Queen Susan…" Claire began.

"Don't worry for me." Susan managed to say with a ragged breath. "Attend Jonathan first."

Claire finally accepted and went to her friend. She took out the cordial and gave it to him.

Meanwhile Susan tried to hold on. The fall had surely cracked all of her ribs, and maybe even some more bones, all her body was in pain. But the worst had been where the point of the tail had hit her, she was bleeding badly from her chest, maybe her lung had been perforated.

"I won't last like this." Susan murmured to herself.

Just then Jonathan and Claire reached her side, the boy still a bit weak.

Claire tried to give Susan some of the Fire Flower's Juice but there was nothing left.

"It can't be…" Claire gasped.

"Worry not." Susan told them. "I…I already knew that there…wouldn't be any left for… for me. That's why I…I told you to attend him f-first."

"But Queen Susan…" Claire began.

"Don't cry for me kids…" Susan murmured. "I'm not afraid of dying…My siblings are gone, same as my parents…I have nothing left to live for."

"But, there must be some way to help you." Jonathan said seriously.

"You helped me more than enough." Susan assured them. "You made me believe in me again. You ga…gave me something to fight for. I could feel like Qu…Queen Susan…one last time."

Claire was holding Susan's hand and crying a sea already.

"Here, take the ring." Susan handed them the ring.

"But…" Jonathan began.

"If you…if you both take it…it should be…enough." Susan managed to say.

She noticed that with each passing second the pain got worse, and just to breathe or to talk became harder, almost impossible.

"Aslan…" Susan called to the sky. "Please…I beg you…help these children."

Meanwhile both kids were rather surprised and shocked to see that she wasn't calling for help for herself, but for them.

Not knowing exactly why he did it Jonathan embraced Claire with one arm and then took the ring in his hand.

'Please…' Jonathan thought. 'This has to work.'

He wanted to believe that the three of them would make it back to their world, and have time to get Susan to a hospital where she would be saved.

A second later all the darkness around them disappeared.

.-.

Jonathan and Claire had to blink a couple of times to get used to the light around them. Too long had they been in darkness. Even when, for the looks of everything, not even a second had passed by in their own world, as their babysitter was still right next to them.

"No time passed here at all." Jonathan told Claire.

"It's as if it had been all a dream." Claire added.

"But it wasn't." Jonathan signaled to her hand.

She still had around her waist the belt with the dagger's sheath, even if the dagger was still in the dragon's eye.

And there was also the fact of their not-so-clean clothes.

And then something else got in to their minds:

"Queen Susan!" they both cried out in unison.

And before the babysitter had any chance to say anything they ran outside the store where they had been and dashed by entrances to different places (they were in a mall), until they reached a fancy restaurant where many people were close together and some doctors were trying to pass.

The kids were in panic.

Was it too late to save the queen?

.-.

Susan opened her eyes slowly. George was again standing before her, trying to understand what she talked about; no time had passed since she disappeared.

'It's just as always.' Susan thought, but when the pain reached her again she changed her mind. 'No, it isn't as always.'

After a sharp intake of breath Susan collapsed into George's arms.

It was then that he seemed to notice she had problems breathing and there was a strange wound soaking her dress in blood.

"Oh my God, Su!" George cried out taking the woman in his arms. "A doctor please! It's an emergency! I need a doctor here!"

There was chaos in the restaurant. Someone called an ambulance, and the doctors reached in no time at all. With some difficulty due to so many spectators they got Susan on a stretcher and went out the restaurant, all the while trying to seal the woman's strange wound and regulate her breathing, which seemed almost impossible.

Jonathan and Claire saw the moment they brought Susan out; he gasped, she cried out. They both tried to get to her but the policemen that had arrived to investigate what had happened just wouldn't let them pass.

Susan managed to see Claire crying in Jonathan's arms as she was taken outside.

"Do…not…cry…kids…" she choked between ragged breaths.

And somehow, even when the paramedics around her couldn't hear her, the kids could.

"Queen Susan…" Claire whispered in a sob.

"I'll…be…just fine." Susan whispered. "Good Bye."

And with this her eyes finally closed.

"No…" Jonathan was in shock.

"Queen Susan!" Claire shrieked.

Neither of them seemed to care what others may think of them, they were just too affected. They had never met such a wonderfully brave and caring woman, a queen…and she had given her life to save theirs.

The paramedics tried their best to save the woman, but the kids already knew it was useless, she was dead already.

Slowly Jonathan turned around and somehow managed to pull Claire away from the mob of people. Claire let herself be pulled away, still crying her eyes out. And even though Jonathan remained silent, in his face anyone could see the tears falling down his own eyes, he too couldn't help but weep the death of the woman who, in less than a day, had made both of them learn so much about themselves, who had given everything of herself to help them, even when she didn't even know them.

They both knew their babysitter would give them a hard time for having run away like they did, but in that moment they were still too shocked to even care about that.

"Do not weep children." A deep voice told them. "Queen Susan is going home now."

And even if just for an instant the kids saw what seemed like a great lion in a nearby shop window; and even if they had never seen him before, they instantly knew who he was: Aslan.

.-.

Slowly, Susan opened her eyes once more. She noticed she could breath normally again, and she no longer felt the pain. She saw before her a pair of enormous doors.

"Where am I?" she wondered aloud.

Out of curiosity she touched the doors, which immediately opened the way to her. Slowly Susan entered the garden that could be found inside the garden's doors, she almost couldn't believe what she saw:

"It is Narnia…" she whispered.

She was out of breath, but not because of any injure, but because of the greatness of what she was seeing before her. This wasn't the Narnia she had seen shortly ago, the darkness, the ruins and the dragon, nothing of that; it was the great Narnia she had known in her time as Queen, in the Golden Age, and even more beautiful.

Susan ran like she never ran before, and reached Cair Paravel in what seemed no time to her. Once there she saw a group of very different beings standing on the stairs. Centaurs, nymphs, dryads, unicorns, and all kind of animals opened the way to her.

Susan bowed her head at each and made her way up the main staircase and into the Main Hall of the castle, where again she found both sides full, this time of people, all the Kings and Queens Narnia and Archenland had had in all its history.

Susan suddenly felt small compared to them.

'And my clothing doesn't fit…' she was thinking, until she took a look at herself.

She wasn't wearing the dark blue dress soaked in blood she had been wearing back in the restaurant. This time she was wearing a gorgeous forest-green long dress with long bell-like sleeves, cream slippers; also a silver-gray cape and the golden crown she had worn throughout all her reign.

She also noticed she was no longer the woman in her mid twenties she had been back at the restaurant, but the fully grown woman she had been in Narnia as a Queen.

"Announcing Queen Susan the Gentle." A Herald said from the entrance.

As Susan walked through the Hall she saw all the Kings, Queens, and other important humans reunited there. At the very front were seated King Frank and Queen Helen, the very first King and Queen of Narnia; and between them.

"Aslan…" Voices in the entire Hall began to whisper.

Susan finished her walk right at the foot of some steps that led to the two main thrones.

"Aslan." Susan pronounced the Great Lion's name as she got on one knee.

"Stand up Susan, my daughter." Aslan said seriously. "You are now in a place where you will bow to no one, and never look down. You're a great Queen and everyone remembers you. Narnia has been expecting the arrival of its last Queen for too long."

"But, do I truly deserve it Aslan?" Susan asked doubtfully, still kneeling down. "It has been so long since I believed in anything full-heartedly. And I have to admit that, even if for a short time, I once denied you and everything in Narnia."

Some began to whisper between themselves. A Queen who had denied her own country and people? And above all, who had denied Aslan? How could such a person be a Queen?

"You committed your mistakes Susan." Aslan said seriously. "But have accepted them, regretted them, and done your best to mend them. For example, you risked yourself entering the Dark Narnia to rescue the two children who entered there by mistake; and even when your life was at risk, you never stopped fighting for them."

This time many people gasped, they would have never imagined something like that. Even those who had seen how the Dark Narnia was, right before the door to it was closed, they couldn't imagine someone entering that place by their own free will.

"I told you Aslan, I owed it to you, to my siblings, and to myself." Susan said calmly. "I couldn't ignore a call of help for a second time."

"Even when this mission took your life?" Aslan asked.

"Even then." Susan nodded. "I do not regret it. I had lost the desire to live so long ago. Those kids gave me a reason to fight once more, and a reason to die for. My siblings and friends believed it was worth to give up their lives for Narnia; and even if it took me some time to understand it, I now do, and I share their belief: I believe it was worth to give up my life for Narnia and for those two kids: Claire and Jonathan."

"Then you are a worthy Queen of Narnia, Susan. Now get on your feet and go to those who wish to greet you." Aslan said.

Susan followed Aslan's eyes and found those whom she had been wishing to see for so long.

"Oh my God…" she gasped. "Peter! Edmund! Lucy!"

She immediately ran to them and hugged them tightly, like she had dreamed of doing for so long, except this time it was no dream, it was real.

"It's good to see you again Susan." Peter said embracing her warmly.

"We're so happy you are here, Su." Edmund said patting her back.

"We missed you so much sis." Lucy added with a smile.

"I too missed you all Lu, you'll never know how much." Susan assured her.

Just then four others approached them.

"Eustace, Jill, Professor Kirke, Miss Plummer." Susan greeted them with a smile. "I'm so sorry if I offended you in any way last time we met."

"Worry not my dear." Polly said with a smile. "Here in the New Narnia there's no place for sadness or grudges."

"Let us be happy we are all together now." Diggory added.

Eustace and Jill just nodded and smiled to Susan.

Susan nodded with a great smile. She couldn't be happier, she was finally reunited with her family, nothing could be better than this.

Susan thought she could hear Aslan's steps as he walked down the Hall where they were reunited, but right before he exited the castle he turned to her.

Susan bowed her head slightly when she noticed he was seeing her directly.

"Thank you Aslan." She murmured in a low voice, although she was sure he had heard her well enough.

"Welcome home, Susan." Aslan's voice reached the queen's ears from the distance.

* * *

And here I am, with a new chapter. 

One could think this as the end to this fic, and let me tell you that originally it was going to be; in fact originally it was all going to be a One-Shot, a bit long but a One-Shot nonetheless; in the last moment I decided to divide it in chapters and added a small extra-chapter, like a short epilogue, you'll see it in the next update.

Someone told me I had enough to make this story longer than four chapters, perhaps your right, the thing is this fic was planned this way since the beginning, if I began suddenly adding things to make it longer there would come a time when it would be just boring, and people would stop reading it; so I preferred for it to be a short story but with enough readers for it to be worth it.

So, I'm going now, I hope to get a good number of reviews for this chapter and see you in the next. The end of this fic.


	4. The Legacy

**Chapter 4.- The Legacy**

A young boy of around ten years old walked slowly down an aisle full of tombstones. He seemed quite bored of being there.

"Mom, why must we come here, every year?" the boy finally asked.

"Because it is a tradition dear." His mother replied sweetly.

"Your mother and I come here to visit a good friend of ours and her family." His father added.

The woman let a bouquet of flowers on the tombstone before which she had been kneeling, and then let one flower in each of the seven nearby tombs.

The boy meanwhile continued running around.

"Stop playing Clive, just wait a while, we'll leave shortly." The father said to his playful son.

"Fine." Clive nodded and waited for his mother to finish whatever it is she was doing.

"It is been so long my friend." The woman said as she fingered the tombstone lightly. "I hope you are happy now, wherever you are."

And as she fingered the tombstone a name could be read in it: "Susan Pevensie".

"Claire, dear?" the man behind her asked.

"I'm fine Jon." Claire replied to her husband as she got on her feet and sighed. "It's just that I miss her so much."

"I miss her too." Jonathan admitted. "It's incredible how in less than a day she became so important for us."

"Remember she fought to help us, and she gave her life for us, I don't think it to be that difficult to believe."

"I remember perfectly well. But you must admit Claire that for our families, and everyone else it was strange to see two kids attached to a woman they never really met. They saw Susan as just a common woman who would have worked and married and have children; but for us she was much more, she was Queen Susan."

"Yes, the history of Narnia is so wonderful I believe it is a pity that it will end with us."

"But the rings are gone now, and its better that way; that Dark Narnia in which we were should remain sealed to everyone, forever."

"Yes, it would be awful if someone else were to fall there by mistake as we did."

"But you have to admit it did some good to us Claire. I stopped being a coward, and you became more open and caring with people."

"Yes, in a way Narnia helped us too. If you see it that way I understand why you see it as a pity that it will all be lost once we are gone but…" she suddenly sighed. "There's no need for it to be lost."

Her husband seemed confused for a second, until he noticed what she was looking at: their young son Clive. He just nodded.

"And it may sound strange to you." Claire added melancholically. "But in a way I wish we'll be aloud to reunite with her one day."

"You mean to get a chance to see the True Narnia she talked about?" Jonathan asked. "Yes, I wish we will be aloud to see it one day."

"Maybe if we wish it hard enough Aslan will give us that chance, one day, in the future." Claire said with a sigh.

"Maybe." Jonathan nodded.

"Mom? Dad?" Clive called for the umpteenth time. "Can we leave now?"

"Yes dear, we're leaving now." Claire nodded.

.-.

Years passed by. Claire and Jonathan followed their own decision and told the story of Narnia to their son, who loved it as much as them.

Clive grew up and became a man of good who never stopped believing in fairytales, and in that magic world his parents talked so much about.

.-.

One day, many years later Clive was standing in the same old graveyard in Finchley. Except, this time, two new tombs had just been added. One read: "Jonathan Lewis" and the other "Claire Lewis".

He watched in silence as the men he had hired finished the graves. A friend of his approached him as he smoked his pipe.

"Well Clive, as much as I can say this graveyard can be called even pretty; I still do not understand why you insisted to bury your parents here in Finchley and not in London, where you live."

"Because I believe they would have liked to be with some friends." Clive replied with a small smile.

"Friends?" his companion asked. "Which friends?"

Clive signaled to the other tombs, which were being cleaned and arranged (he had hired the men to do that too).

Once they were all clean Clive and his friend could easily read the names in them: Diggory Kirke, Polly Plummer, Eustace Clarence Scrubb, Jill Pole, Peter Pevensie, Edmund Pevensie, Lucy Pevensie and Susan Pevensie. And in small letters, in the corner of each could be read the words: Lord, Lady, King or Queen.

"So, you publishing those books of yours anytime soon?" his friend asked to change the conversation.

"Maybe in some weeks." Clive answered. "First I need to make sure my parent's businesses are settled. Then I'll publish the books, in their memory."

"I am sure your parents are very proud of you Clive."

"I owe everything I am to them. They taught me many things, some through their lives, some others through the story they liked so much. They wanted this story to be known by everyone, that's why I wrote the books. They will be their legacy to this world."

"And a great legacy indeed; those books are really good. I wonder from where did your parents get the inspirations to make all that up."

"Every time you tell me that I answer you the same way my friend: They didn't make the story up, they met Queen Susan and she told it to them."

"Yeah, right."

"Don't believe if you don't wish to do so. But I believe them, and in everything they said."

"Fine, fine, no need to get angry at me Clive. Then, your parents are now in heaven, together."

"No, they're not in heaven."

"Then where?"

"Home. In Narnia."

.-.

Jonathan and Claire were standing in what looked like the most beautiful garden-forest they had ever been in; all kinds of trees here and there, and hundreds of flowers, some of them unknown to the newcomers. Also they could see many animals, all kinds of them, some of them bigger than those that could be find on Earth; and they could talk! And then Claire spotted something:

"Look Jon, it's a unicorn!"

Jonathan nodded and signaled her to a group of centaurs nearby. And just then three dryads passed by laughing and dancing, followed by a group of fawns and satyrs.

"It's all so incredible." Claire whispered in awe. "I had never seen anything like this."

"And it's not just the look of the place Claire." Jonathan said. "Look at us."

It was until then that Claire seemed to notice they looked younger than before, and dressed in elegant clothes.

"Wow…" Claire said amazed. "We look like we did what, thirty years ago?"

"I feel like some years younger too." Jonathan said with a smile.

"Do you think…" Claire began doubtful. "Do you think all this may mean this place… I mean, we are in Narnia?"

At this question Jonathan remained silent, not knowing what to say to his wife.

They continued walking and saw more animals and creatures like the ones they had seen before; as well as humans. Some of them they were even able to recognize them from the stories they had been told, like King Cor and his wife Aravis from Archenland, King Caspian and his wife, the daughter of the star, and many more.

And finally they arrived to where a group seemed to be having an animate chat. They were eight people, four of them wearing crowns, the others just elegant clothing like Jonathan and Claire.

And right then one of those people, a woman with a golden crown approached them.

"Claire! Jonathan!" the beautiful queen called to them. "You're finally here!"

And just then it dawned to Claire and Jonathan who that woman was.

"Queen Susan!" they exclaimed, running to embrace her.

Susan immediately embraced them back and pulled them to their siblings and friends to introduce them.

"I can't believe we're really here." Claire said excitedly. "It's like a dream come true."

"It's even better than any dream." Jonathan corrected sweetly.

"Well believe it, Claire daughter of Eve, Jonathan son of Adam, because you are here." Aslan's voice cut in.

"Aslan." Everyone bowed to the great lion.

"Thank you so much for allowing us to be here." Claire said with a smile.

"It's the least you two deserve for believing in Narnia and me so full-heartedly." Aslan said. "And I know your son will continue with that."

"He will, you can trust Clive on that." Jonathan assured them.

"Well," Peter said with a warm smile. "Then welcome to Narnia, your new home."

.-.

Clive was standing between a big group of people, some months after the death of his parents, presenting the books he had written to follow their wishes.

'This is the most valuable heirloom you could have left for me, mom, dad.' Clive thought as the people waited for him to announce the books. 'The most wonderful legacy.'

"Mr. Lewis." A reporter called to him. "Which is the name of this collection of books you have written?"

"The name is…Narnia…" Clive declared with a smile. "The Chronicles of Narnia."

**The End.**

Well, I had hoped for a bit more answer to my previous chapter before I published the last one, but it seems one can only hope for so much. Anyway, here it is, finally, the end to this fic. As I said before it's just a little something I thought about adding at the end, originally the stoy ended in the previous chapter.

Well, hoped you liked it and you'll leave me some more reviews, it would certainly make my day. Thank you.


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